63d Congress, ) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. J Report 
2d Session . j (No. 694. 




MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


May 20, 1914.—Committed to the Committee of the 'Whole House on the state of the 
Union and ordered to be printed. 


Mr. Foster, from the Committee on Mines and Mining, submitted the 

following 


REPORT. 

[To accompany H. R. 15869.] 


A 


The Committee on Mines and Mining, having under consideration 
H. R. 15869, reports the same to the House with the recommendation 
that the bill be passed. 

The pending bill has a double purpose: (1) To establish 10 mining 
experiment stations in important metal-mining regions in public- 
land States and 1 in Alaska, with a view to the advancement of the 
mining industry in those regions, and (2) to establish in the larger 
developed mining regions of the country 15 movable mine-safety 
stations for rescue cars, with a view to advancing more rapidly and 
in a more satisfactory manner the mine-safety education and mine- 
rescue work under the Bureau of Mines. 

The bill now pending is expected to replace recent House bills Nos. 
97, 113, 169, 1644, 1646, 1879, 4641, 8898, 9662, 9837, 11098, 11101, 
15606, and 15869 of the Sixty-third Congress, looking to the establish¬ 
ment of individual experiment stations in nearly all public-land States, 
and House bills Nos. 14691, 15221, 15223, and 16195, looking to the 
establishment of individual mine-rescue cars or stations. Under its 
provisions will also be included the reconstruction and operation of 
eight existing mine-rescue cars now being operated under the Bureau 
of Mines. 

This legislation has been prepared with considerable care. It is 
not based upon the plans or wishes of any one person or organization, 
but it has been drawn up as a result of a series of conferences among 
the miners, mine operators, mine surgeons, and engineers from dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country, careful consideration having been given 
to the needs of the industry and of the country along the lines indi¬ 
cated . 

The committee has heard only commendation from the miners and 
operators for the work of the Bureau of Mines as far as that work 








2 


MINING-EXPERIMFNT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


has gone, but criticism is general and emphatic concerning the 
slowness of the progress in that work due to lack of adequate facili¬ 
ties. The situation is well expressed by the following extract in a 
letter from John Mitchell to the chairman of the committee: 

As one of the advocates of the establish ment of the Bureau of Mines, I have watched 
with interest the good beginning it has made; but I have noted with regret the inade¬ 
quacy of its facilities for taking up even the matter of coal-mine accidents in a manner 
commensurate with the urgency and importance of that subject; also the omission 
from its work of investigations looking to safety and health conditions in the metal 
mines and investigations looking to the general upbuilding of the industry. 

In a movement of this kind the inadequacy of the facilities tends to bring discredit 
on the work, and thereby to discourage both those associated with it and those for 
whose benefit the movement was inaugurated. I fear it also indicates a failure to 
comprehend the importance and magnitude of the undertaking and the difficulties 
involved. 

CONDITIONS SHOWING THE NEED* FOR THIS LEGISLATION. 

(1) That the mining industry of the country, and especially the 
metal-mining industries in our public-land States, are not keeping 
pace with the normal development of the country is clearly shown 
by the following data: 

In the population of the public-land States west of the Mississippi 
and Missouri Rivers there was an increase from 14,800,000 in 1900 
to 19,600,000 in 1910, an increase of 32 per cent. 

The agricultural crops of the public-land States had a valuation in 
1900 of $921,000,000, and a valuation in 1910 of $1,950,000,000, an 
increase of 112 per cent. 

During similar periods the averago annual valuation of all the 
mineral products in the public-land States increased from $287,000,000 
during the period 1901 to 1905 to an average annual valuation of 
$358,000,000 during the period from 1906 to 1910, an increase of a 
little less than 25 per cent; whereas the production of the precious 
metals in the public-land States decreased from an annual average 
valuation of $136,000,000 during the earlier period (1901-1905) to an 
average annual valuation of $127,000,000 during the latter period 
(1906-1910), a decrease of nearly 7 per cent. 

No better illustration could be given of the contrast in the treat¬ 
ment of these two great national industries than the fact that in spite 
of this lagging behind of the mining industry during this 10-year 
period, the National Government expended for the reclamation of 
agricultural lands in these public-land States not only all of the 
moneys received from the sale of public lands for agricultural pur¬ 
poses, but also nearly $7,000,000 received from the salo of mineral 
lands. 

The reduction in the number of men employed in the different 
metal-mining industries in the public-land States tells even more 
clearly than do the figures of production the falling behind of the 
mining industry. Unfortunately, the figures for the number of the 
men employed aro not available for a majority of the public-land 
States. 

Taking a single one of these States as an example, attention may 
be called to the fact that the average number of men employed in the 
metal mining and metallurgical industries in the State of Colorado for 
the four-year period 1900 to 1903, inclusive, was 36,189; during the 
period from 1904 to 1907 this annual loss was reduced to 34,364; and 


a 8F o. 

WN 5 ?91§ 





MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. ' 3 

N during the four-year period from 1908 to 1911, inclusive, tho number 
£ of employees was further reduced to 22,560. 

v (2) Among the causes of this lagging behind of mine development 
S are the following: (a) The exhaustion now under way of the more 
ea ily discovered and richer ore deposits and the fact that other rich 
ore deposits are not now being discovered to such an extent as to 
replace those now being worked as they become exhausted; (k) the 
absence of known methods through the use of which many existing 
low-grade ore deposits can be profitably worked; (c) the wasteful 
methods now followed in many of the mining and metallurgical oper¬ 
ations, which, while in many cases they still bring temporary profits 
to mine operators, are reducing the national wealth in a manner which 
can be remedied only by the discovery and use of more efficient 
methods of treatment. 

(3) Of a number of our important mineral resources we have for 
both the present and future needs of the country but one inadequate 
supply. The utilization of certain of these important resources, as in 
the case of coal, oil, and natural gas, destroys them. Common pru¬ 
dence demands that through the necessary researches the Nation 
should learn how to use this one supply of its mineral resources more 
wisely and more efficiently or with less waste or loss than is now the 
case. 

(4) The loss of life in the different branches of the mining industry 
is a discredit to the Nation. It calls for more extended inquiries and 
researches on the part of the Federal Government and a proper dis¬ 
semination of the results obtained; it calls for more stringent police 
supervision or inspection by the States, and for more determined 
cooperative effort on the part of both the miners and mine owners in 
the way of making and enforcing safety regulations. 

The National Government should do its full duty in this matter 
without further delay. 

MINING, LIKE AGRICULTURE, WILL BE BENEFITED BY THE LARGER 
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 

Congress is now appropriating as an aid to agricultural advance¬ 
ment nearly $28,000,000 per annum. The^e funds are being expended 
and the work authorized is being carried forward through a well- 
organized department with a cabinet head and with nearly 14,000 
employees. 

That these large expenditures have resulted in still larger benefits 
to the country there can be no doubt; and one of the evidences of 
benefits is to be seen in the large increases in the aggregate value of 
the farm products of the country, which had an estimated value of 
less than $5,000,000,000, in the year 1898, and nearly $9,000,000,000 
in the year 1912. 

The conditions underlying agricultural progress differ as to many 
details from those associated with mining, but the broad general 
principles of progress are the same; and the favorable response to the 
national aid for agriculture is itself an evidence of the result which 
can be depended upon if similar aid is extended to mining. Further¬ 
more, the less extended actual experience growing out of the more 
limited expenditures through the Geological Survey and the Bureau 
of Mines on behalf of the mining industry furnishes specific evidence 


4 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


of the larger benefits which may he expected to result from larger 
expenditures in similar directions. Thus, under the Bureau of Mines, 
through a small expenditure, the saving in national wealth through 
stopping the waste of natural gas in a single season has aggregated 
more than $10,000,000, which is several times the total cost of the 
maintenance of the Bureau of Mines from its beginning. 

The benefits which may be expected from more liberal aid to the 
mining industry will come (1) through the lessening of the unneces¬ 
sary waste in the mining and treatment of the various mineral prod¬ 
ucts; (2) through increased efficiency in mining operations by the 
improvement of health and safety conditions; (3) through the devel¬ 
opment of more efficient and cheaper methods in the treatment of 
low-grade ore deposits, which are either not now worked at all or 
are worked only in their richer parts or pockets. These benefits may 
come about either through the discovery of new methods in connec¬ 
tion with the researches by the bureau itself, or through its activity 
in stimulating researches by private parties. 

THE COUNTRY’S RELATION TO ITS TWO GREAT FOUNDATION INDUSTRIES. 

A brief statement of facts will indicate in a general way what the 
National Government is doing to aid development of each of its two 
great basic industries, and what in turn these two industries are con¬ 
tributing yearly to our national wealth and progress. While the 
figures are not fully comparable in all respects, they will be found to 
be essentially correct. 

AGRICULTURE AND MINING, THE NATION’S TWO GREAT FOUNDATION 
INDUSTRIES—WHAT THEY ARE DOING FOR THE NATION AND WHAT 
THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING FOR EACH OF THESE INDUS¬ 
TRIES. 

What these industries do for the nation: 



Agriculture, 
including for¬ 
estry. 

Mining and 
mineral indus¬ 
tries. 1 

Number of employees. 

13,000,000. 
$10,500,000,000 

$800 

22 

2,300,000 

$4,600,000,000 

$2,000 

60 

Yearly value of products. 

Whateach worlcerin these industries contributes to the national wealth, 
yearly. 

What each industry contributes to the freight tonnage of the country, 
yearly.percent.. 












MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 5 

\\hat the National Government is doing for each of these industries : 


Yearly appropriations. 

Agriculture. 

Mining. 

For education: 

From direct appropriation. 

$2,500,000 
1,030,000 

2 480,000 
1,550,000 
22,410,000 

27,970,000 

$0. 28 

Nothing. 

From lamd grants. 

From Smith-Lever Act for demonstration educational work_ 

For 52 experiment stations, one in each State and Territory. 

For general researches and other work to aid agriculture and mining.... 

Total. 

Nothing. 
3 $1,967,000 

3 1,967,000 

$0.02 

.005 

Per capita contribution from the people of the United States for the ad¬ 
vancement of these industries. 

Of this contribution the per capita expenditure for safeguarding 
the lives of 2,300,000 employees in the mining industry is about 
one-half of 1 cent per annum.. 




1 The scope here includes mining, metallurgical, and other mineral industries, as does the work of the 
Bureau of Mines. 

2 $480,000 for 1915; increasing to $4,580,000 for 1925 and each year thereafter. 

3 Of this amount less than $500,000 is expended under the Bureau of Mines in behalf of improvement of 
safety and health conditions among the 2,300,000 employees in the mining industry; the remaninder (about 
$1,300,000) is expended for geology, topography, water powers, and other problems haA ing to do with the 
commercial side of mining and other industries, under the Geological Survey; and $1?5,CC0 is expended 
under the Bureau of Mines for the commercial testing of the coal and oil used by the Government. 

Nothing can show the national neglect of the mining industry more 
clearly than does the above tabular statement, in spite of the haz¬ 
ards of that industry and the other conditions which should appeal 
to the humanitarian as well as to the commercial instincts of the 
people. But another fact that tells the story with equal emphasis 
is that during the past 10 years, in addition to the large sums paid 
out of the National Treasury for the benefit of agriculture and the 
payment toward the reclamation of agricultural lands in the Western 
States of all funds arising from the sale of public lands in those 
States, even the proceeds of the sale of the Nation's mineral resources 
in like manner have gone not to aid mining, but to the reclamation 
of additional agricultural lands. 

WHY THE MINING INDUSTRY HAS RECEIVED RELATIVELY SO LITTLE 

NATIONAL AID. 

Agriculture is much the larger of the two industries; it embraces 
a larger number of persons, more widely distributed, and each acting 
as an independent agent. Its products, supplying the country with 
food and clothing, bring this industry even closer to the lives of the 
people than is the mining industry, which supplies them with the fuel 
which cooks their food, heats and lights their houses (built largely 
of mineral products), operates and supplies a large share of the mate¬ 
rials and all the machinery of their factories, conducts and operates 
largely their facilities for transportation and communication, and 
supplies more than 60 per cent of the total freight tonnage of the 
country. 

But, more than the above, there must be some special reasons why 
the mining industry has received relatively so little aid from the 
National Government, and these are to be found, no doubt, in certain 
misapprehensions concerning the industry. Mining is usually regarded 
as an industry made up mainly of the operation of a few large, profit¬ 
able properties, such as the old Comstock mines in Nevada, the 
Treadwell mine in Alaska, or the Homestake mine in South Dakota. 






















6 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


It is usually considered to be an industry controlled by a few parties, 
the owners of which large properties would gladly avail themselves 
of an opportunity to unload on the National Government the cost of 
conducting researches in which they are particularly interested. 
Therefore it is usually considered as an industry which should be 
allowed, and even required, to take care of itself. These assumptions 
are far from correct. 

The facts of the situation are: (1) These large,, profitable proper¬ 
ties are few in number; that, so far as known, their owners have never 
joined in a request for Government appropriation to aid the mining 
industry, nor have they been given any special consideration either 
in the establishment or in the plans of the Bureau of Mines. They 
have neither asked for assistance, nor have they endeavored to 
unload upon the Government any investigations of their own. On 
the contrary, at the request of the Bureau of Mines, a number of 
them have expended considerable allotments of their own funds on 
investigations which promise to be useful not only to them, but to 
other less important mining developments in which they were in no 
way interested. 

(2) While the number of large mines in this country is small, there 
is a large number of small mines. The records show that in the coun¬ 
try as a whole there are about 40,000 coal mines, metal mines, and 
quarries and about 170,000 oil wells, operated to a smaller or larger 
extent in connection with the mining operations. In addition to these 
there is a large number of operating plants connected with the smelt¬ 
ing and other metallurgical operations and various mineral industry 
operations in different parts of the country. Few seem to appreciate 
the importance of helping those who hold these small properties to 
find methods of operation by which they can be worked at a profit 
instead of being helplessly transferred to a few large corporations 
who alone may have the funds for developing the processes that will 
make such operations possible. 

(3) The most urgent appeal for larger national aid to the mining 
industry comes from and on behalf of the 2,300,000 employees of the 
different branches of the industry, who are asking the aid of the Gov¬ 
ernment in the development of safer and more healthful working con¬ 
ditions. This humanitarian appeal should be given precedence over 
calls for appropriations to advance commercial gains. It comes from 
employees working under hazardous conditions, and a majority of 
whom are unfamiliar with our language, our laws, or our institutions, 
who have not yet realized the good will of any government. They 
have been led to believe that the Government of the United States Is 
interested in their welfare and was planning to aid in bringing about 
safer and healthier conditions in the mining industries of this country; 
but they are becoming discouraged as to the realization of such plans. 

(4) Another important need to be met through these larger contri¬ 
butions to the aid of the mining industry is on behalf of the consumers 
or users of the mineral products distributed throughout every section 
of the country. These mineral products are coming to be more and 
more indispensable for use in the domestic life of the people as a basis 
of our manufactures, a basis of transportation facilities, and in supply¬ 
ing the products to be transported. Under normal conditions, as 
our mines become deeper and our mineral resources depleted, the per 
capita cost of mineral products is increasing, and one important pur- 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 7 

pose of the larger investigations authorized in the pending legislation 
will be that of finding out how this cost may be kept down to a 
minimum. 

The increasing per capita consumption of mineral products is 
illustrated by the facts as to coal. The per capita consumption of 
coal in 1870 was less than 1 ton; it increased to 2 i tons in 1890, and 
to nearly 6 tons for the year 1913. 

SOME SPECIAL REASONS WHY MINING SHOULD RECEIVE LARGER 

NATIONAL AID. 

(1) In agriculture, with ordinary care of our soils, the country may 
be continuously supplied with annual crops. In dealing with the 
mining industry the fact should be kept in mind that the country 
has but one supply of mineral resources; that this one supply must 
meet the future as well as the present needs of the Nation; and that 
a century’s experience points clearly to the fact that our needs for 
the more important of these resources, such as mineral fuels, precious 
metals, potash and phosphate deposits, will increase much more 
rapidly than will our population. 

(2) While certain of our mineral resources, as in the case of metals, 
are destroyed rather slowly in use, other essential resources, such as 
coal, oil, and natural gas, are consumed or destroyed bevond recov¬ 
ery in use. 

(3) In the utilization of certain of our mineral resources, such as 
the natural fuels, zinc, and some other of our metals, there are largo 
losses or wastes which are believed to be unnecessary ; and it is a 
wise duty of the National Government that it should aid in the pre¬ 
vention of such wastes. 

(4) And more important than all the above in their appeals for the 
larger aid of the Federal Government are the hazards of the mining 
industry; the accidents which yearly result in such large losses of 
life, and the bad health conditions in many mines and metallurgical 
plants which affect adversely the vitality of employees. None of 
these conditions are met with in agriculture, but they are in a peculiar 
way characteristic of the mining industries; and these conditions 
alone more than justify this additional call upon the Federal Treasury. 

PROPOSED MINING EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 

The bill authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Interior “to 
establish and maintain in the several important mining regions of 
the United States and the Territory of Alaska 10 mining experiment 
stations.” It is expected that these stations will be mainly in the 
public-land States. The exact location and the question of their 
being removed from time to time from one point to another is wisely 
left to the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior in order that 
the work of the several stations may be carried on at such places 
and in such manner as will best facilitate the metal mining resources 
of the country. 

There are located within the boundaries of the several public-land 
States large bodies of low-grade ores of different types for the efficient 
treatment of which there are no known methods. There are other 
large deposits that are being worked in accordance with methods 


8 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


that are highly wasteful of valuable mineral products. On the pub¬ 
lic lands in these States there are many mineral deposits concerning 
the value of which little is at present known. These and other asso¬ 
ciated problems, general in character, will be investigated by the 
several mining experiment stations to be established in such regions; 
and it is believed that the results of such investigations will be not 
only beneficial to the industry but also to the general public. 

RELATIONS OF THE WORK OF THE MINING EXPERIMENT STATIONS 

TO THE WORK UNDER THE GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS OF THE 

BUREAU OF MINES. 

It has been suggested that the work authorized for the several 
mining experiment stations to be established under this legislation 
might be carried on under the general appropriations for the Bureau 
of Mines. If these appropriations were sufficiently ample and 
stable, an arrangement of the kind suggested might be possible under 
the existing organic act of the Bureau of Mines, in the same way that 
the Department of Agriculture a few years ago might have estab¬ 
lished a series of agricultural experiments in each of the several 
States. But Congress at that time decided—and no doubt wisely— 
that with a view to giving such work a more stable basis and a more 
ample support it was better by formal act to establish agricultural 
experiment stations in each of the States and Territories, for each of 
which an appropriation of $30,000 per annum has been authorized. 

The Committee on Mines and Mining, after a careful consideration 
of this question, has decided that it will be unnecessary to establish 
so large a number of stations for the work in mining as was done in 
the case of agriculture; but, nevertheless, that there should be at 
least 10 such stations established and maintained through an appro¬ 
priation of $25,000 for each such station, in order that the local inter¬ 
ests of the more important metal mining regions in the public-land 
States might receive ample and continuous consideration. 

COOPERATION OF THE STATES IN THIS WORK. 

Section 2 of the pending bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior 
“to accept lands, buildings, or other contributions from the several 
States offering to cooperate in carrying out the purposes of this act.” 
It is considered wiser that the act should not make the cooperation 
of any State a condition of this appropriation, nor was such condition 
imposed upon the States in the making of the appropriation for agri¬ 
cultural experiment stations. It is practically certain, however, that 
in mining, as in agriculture, the interested States will cooperate and 
will cooperate liberally with the National Government in carrying for¬ 
ward this important work. 

In support of the agricultural colleges in the several States the 
appropriations by the States themselves are now many times larger 
than those by the Federal Government; and in the maintenance of 
the agricultural experiment stations established by the National 
Government in each of the States and Territories the appropriations 
by the States and Territories for 1912 was $1,250,000, as against an 
appropriation of $1,545,000 from the National Treasury. 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


9 


It is believed that under the bill as reported the Secretary of the 
Interior will be able to locate the 10 mining experiment stations and 
the headquarters of the 15 mine safety stations, or rescue cars, at 
such points as will best serve the needs of the industry and the 
country, and that in doing this he will be able to secure the liberal 
cooperation of the several mining States in the maintenance of these 
stations. 

The following letter from the Secretary of the Interior throws light 
on several phases of this legislation, though it relates especially to the 
proposal for the establishment of the 10 mining experiment stations: 

Department of the Interior, 

Washington, January 15, 1914. 

Hon. M. D. Foster, 

Chairman Committee on Mines and Mining, 

House of Representatives. 

My Dear Dr. Foster: Replying to your letter of December 2, which asks for an 
expression of opinion concerning H. R. 1646, a bill to establish a mining experiment 
station in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes: 

There is also before me a number of similar bills for the establishment of mining 
experiment stations in other Western States, some of which have already received the 
approval of this department. 

Instead of proceeding with the consideration of the special bill now submitted 
(H. R. 1646), I beg to report that the general policy and purpose of these several 
bills, viz, the establishment of experiment stations in public-land 'States looking to 
the safer and more efficient development of the mining industry in these States meets 
with my hearty approval and commendation. 

I would suggest, however, instead of submitting to Congress a number of separate 
bills for the establishment of individual stations in specified localities, the adoption 
of the following general policy: 

That there be prepared a single bill which would authorize the establishment in 
the public-land States and in the Territory of Alaska, on a basis in a general way similar 
to that indicated in the bill under consideration, of 10 mining experiment stations, 
these to be located at such points in these States and in the Territory of Alaska as would 
best facilitate the efforts of the Government in behalf of the proper development of 
the resources on the public lands and the less wasteful development of the mining 
industry in these pub lie-land States. 

There are more than 20 public-land States and the Territory of Alaska in which 
the mineral resources, and especially the metalliferous resources, are sufficient to 
constitute an important factor in our future national development. My reason for 
recommending this much smaller number of mining experiment stations (10 in all), 
is that in the development of the mining industry we do not have to contend with 
the varying climatic conditions found in the many different States, and it does not, 
therefore, seem to me necessary to establish mining experiment stations in each of 
these States as has been done in the case of agricultural experiment stations. Never¬ 
theless, we do have marked differences not only in the nature of the mineral resources, 
but also in the conditions under which they must be developed; and the distances 
between mineral districts in the western half of the United States are so great that 
I think this number of stations, properly distributed throughout this great region, 
will be necessary for the proper economic prosecution of the work. 

My reason for recommending that the exact location of each of these stations be 
left for determination at a subsequent date by the Secretary of the Interior is that 
this arrangement will make possible such distribution of the stations as will not only 
be most suitable to the proper development of resources, but will also make each 
station better supplement the work of each other station in carrying out the general 
purposes of this legislation. 

In recommending the establishment of these stations in the public-land States, 
without, at this time, recommending the establishment of such stations in other 
parts of the country, the department is perhaps influenced by the fact that in these 
public-land States the Government is itself greatly interested in the proper develop¬ 
ment of the mineral resources in these lands; and owing to the large area of public 
land in these States which is nontaxable, these States are less able financially to 
provide for such investigations than would otherwise be the case. 

For a number of years Congress has been appropriating annually for the maintenance 
of experiment stations in behalf of agriculture in the several States an aggregate sum 


10 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


of nearly $1,500,000. In addition to this, in the public-land States the Federal Govern¬ 
ment has expended during the past 12 years $77,150,180 in the reclamation work of 
making available additional agricultural lands; and of this sum more than $8,000,000 
has come from the proceeds of the sale of mineral lands in the public-land States. 

I mention these expenditures with no feeling other than that of approval; but in 
passing, I may call attention to the fact that the mining industry in this country 
does not appear to have had a square deal in the way of public recognition and aid. 
And in speaking of the mining industry, we need not especially concern ourselves 
about the profits of the few large mining companies. There are the many thousand 
small mine owners and prospectors struggling with difficult problems, there are the 
safety and welfare of the 2,000,000 employees in the various mining and mineral 
industries, and there are the other great national problems of waste in these industries, 
all of which should have our serious concern, and should have also the benefit of 
extended national inquiry and scientific investigation. 

It would seem, therefore, that the annual appropriation necessary for the main¬ 
tenance in the public-land States and in Alaska of these ten mining experiment 
stations, is not only a reasonable proposition, but that it represents only a small part 
of what the Federal Government should do for the safer and more efficient develop¬ 
ment of the mining industries of this country. 

Very truly, yours, 

(Signed) Franklin K. Lane. 

THE NEEDED ENLARGEMENT OF THE MINE-RESCUE CAR WORK, THROUGH 

THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF 15 MINE-SAFETY 

STATIONS. 

The continuance of large mine disasters and the increase of mine 
fatalities during the year 1913 as compared with the preceding year 
have brought from the country a demand for greater effort by miners 
and mine owners in carrying out reform measures for a more exacting 
inspection and police supervision by the States, and for such a reor¬ 
ganization and enlargement of the facilities of the National Govern¬ 
ment as will carry forward its investigations more rapidly and result 
in a better safeguarding of the lives of miners and an improvement in 
the health conditions which prevail in many of the mining, metal¬ 
lurgical, and other mineral industries. 

PLAN PROPOSED IS RESULT OF A SERIES OF CONFERENCES. 

That this reorganization and enlargement is urgently needed is the 
net result of a series of conferences among representatives of the 
miners, mine operators, and State mine inspectors. At these confer¬ 
ences there was a careful consideration and discussion of the many 
phases of a greater mine-safety problem as related to the work of each 
of these agencies. It was the general opinion that the failure of the 
National Government to press various investigations to a conclusion 
was retarding the mine-safety movement. 

The committee has carefully considered the situation and is of the 
opinion that the plan proposed in this bill for the enlargement of the 
equipment and operations of the Bureau of Mines is a necessary fea¬ 
ture of any general plan to bring about more rapid progress in the 
prevention of mine accidents and in the improvement of health con¬ 
ditions in the mining and metallurgical industries. In any general 
movement for greater mine safety the Federal Government must bear 
its share. This plan does not represent the conclusion of any one 
person, but is rather the consensus of opinion of persons familiar with 
the situation, and it is b dieved by the committee to be urgently called 
for at this time. 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


11 


MINE-SAFETY WORK OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AND ITS RELA¬ 
TION TO THAT OF THE STATES, MINE OPERATORS, AND MINERS. 

The following plan of cooperation in mine-safety work in this 
country has been discussed at these several recent conferences and 
has met with general acceptance as being in accord with existing law 
and custom. It is believed that this plan can and should be made 
more effective in the immediate future through the greater activity 
and hearty cooperation of the interested parties. The plan is as 
follows: 

1. That the National Government shall conduct on a larger scale 
the necessary general inquiries and investigations, and that it shall 
promptly disseminate the information obtained among the miners, 
mine owners, and mine inspectors, in such manner as will prove most 
effective in bringing about the needed reforms in preventing mine 
accidents and in improving health conditions. 

2. That each of the several mining States shall enact the needed 
improvements in legislation, and shall make ample provision for the 
proper inspection of the mines and the proper enforcement of the 
mining laws and regulations within their borders. 

3. That the mine owners or mine operators shall install and main¬ 
tain improvements which give reasonable promise of greater safety 
and better health conditions, as rapidly and as completely as the 
practicability of such improvements may be demonstrated by in¬ 
quiries and investigations which the Bureau of Mines is conducting. 

4. That the miners and mine operators shall cooperate both in 
making and in enforcing such rules and regulations as their own ex¬ 
perience and as the investigations and inquiries in this and other 
countries show will aid in carrying out the purposes mentioned, 
especially such as will best safeguard the lives of the men who work 
underground. 

THE WORK OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT IS FURTHEST BEHIND. 

Of the work of these four agencies in behalf of mine safety, that of 
the Bureau of Mines is most backward. It should, however, be in 
the lead. The State mine inspectors, mine operators, and miners 
have of late, through their growing interest in the safety movement, 
presented to the Bureau of Mines a larger and larger number of 
inquiries or appeals for information upon which to base their own 
activities. Such information is being sought for use as a basis for 
improved legislation in the States, or for a more rigid inspection of 
mines, or as a basis for better rules and regulations to be drawn up 
by the miners and mine owners. Improvements along all of these 
lines are being delayed because of the inability of the bureau to push 
a variety of its investigations to completion, and thereby supply 
the information needed. 

Therefore the claim frequently set forth of late by the miners, 
mine owners, and inspectors, that the entire mine-safety movement 
is being held back by the lagging of the bureau’s investigations, is 
unfortunately a true and reasonable claim. 


12 


MINING-EXPEKIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


THE MINE-SAFETY WORK OF THE STATES, MINERS, AND MINE OPERATORS. 

The work of the States in carrying out their part of this general 
program in mine safety is being carried forward in a reasonably 
satisfactory manner. The States are already expending in their 
inspection and police supervision work more than the Federal Gov¬ 
ernment is expending in all of its investigations in behalf of mine 
safety. Thus, for example, a single State, Pennsylvania, maintains 
a well-organized and efficient inspection force which includes a chief 
and 50 district inspectors; it expends in the maintenance of this 
work $213,000 per annum, paying its district inspectors an average 
compensation of $3,000 each in addition to traveling expenses. All 
of the other coal-mining States maintain a system of inspection. 

Many of the mine operators have inaugurated a system of opera¬ 
tions in which the question of safety is considered of first importance. 
Something more than 170 mining companies (out of a total of some 
3,000 large coal-mining companies and 12,000 smaller coal-mining 
companies), have individually, or through the association of two or 
more companies, established 76 mine rescue stations at wilich there 
have been installed some 1,200 sets of artificial breathing apparatus 
besides the auxiliary equipment for first aid and fire-fighting work. 
There are also 12 mine rescue cars now operated by individual min¬ 
ing companies about their own local properties. The Bureau of 
Mines is endeavoring to stimulate such activity by private companies. 

The miners are also taking up the work of safety and are appoint¬ 
ing safety committees for the more active promotion of the move¬ 
ment—especially is this true in regions which have been visited by 
the Government mine rescue cars. 

The representatives of the States, the mine operators, and the 
miners are all cooperating with the Bureau of Mines in this safety 
work, and this cooperation should, from year to year, become more 
and more important a factor in the progress of the safety movement. 
But the movement is yet in its infancy, and has reached but a few 
of the 2,300,000 employees in the industry. 

WORK OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT FOR MINE SAFETY AND WHY IT SHOULD COOPER- 
• ATE IN THIS WORK. 

The question as to whether the National Government should con¬ 
tribute to the advancement of its basic industries was settled affirma¬ 
tively long ago. Congress is now appropriating for the advancement 
of agriculture, the more important of the two great basic industries, 
nearly $30,000,000 per annum, and its program of good work includes 
educational and experimental or research features and general 
inquiries. 

More recently, and on a smaller scale, Congress has inaugurated a 
series of inquiries and researches looking to the advancement of the 
other of its two great basic industries—mining. When it is remem¬ 
bered that in mining we deal with serious occupational hazards and 
with resources of which we have but the one supply, and that this 
one supply is not only limited, but is consumed or destroyed in use, 
it will be seen that there are special reasons why the mining industry 
should be treated with a liberality at least equal to that applied to 
agriculture. 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 13 

The work of the National Government for mine safety consists 
mainly in general inquiries and investigations applicable to the con¬ 
ditions in all the States and in which all States are interested. It 
seems reasonable that this general work should be done by the Na¬ 
tional Government for the following reasons: 

1. It is unreasonable to expect any one State to bear the cost of 
this work which is equally useful to all of the other mining States, 
and in which all the people in all the other States are directly or 
indirectly interested. 

2. If such work were done by each of the several States the result 
would be a serious duplication of cost and effort and with varying 
results. If it were done by the private mine operators there would 
be still greater duplication and still greater variation in the results, 
and both the public and the miners would be suspicious of the results 
obtained. 

3. By whatever agency the work may be done, the consumer of 
coal and other mineral products, representing the citizenship of the 
entire country, will bear the cost. 

It will therefore seem proper that this general work should be con¬ 
ducted by the National Government, under such conditions as will 
command maximum public confidence and represent minimum dupli¬ 
cation of labor and costs. 

Furthermore, it is easier for the Federal Government than for the 
individual States or private companies to obtain information em¬ 
bodying the results of similar inquiries and investigations both in 
the United States and in the different foreign countries where min¬ 
ing operations are carried on. 

EXISTING MINE-RESCUE CARS AND STATIONS. 

During the past few years the Bureau of Mines has been maintain¬ 
ing and operating, during portions of each year, six mine-rescue 
stations and eight mine-rescue cars, all of these being considered 
largely as an agency for the dissemination of information among the 
miners and those in charge of the management of mines, and for the 
training of miners in mine rescue and first aid methods. This has 
been primarily an educational work, though in connection with it a 
large amount of valuable data on mine conditions has been collected. 

In order to carry forward this cooperative work in a proper manner, 
it will be necessary to reorganize and to enlarge the work of the mine 
rescue cars or movable stations to a considerable extent. 

EXISTING MINE-RESCUE STATIONS. 

The six stations maintained and operated by the Bureau of Mines 
during the last few years have been located at the following points: 

Pittsburgh, Pa., occupying War Department buildings assigned 
temporarily for the use of the Bureau of Mines. 

Knoxville, Tenn., occupying rooms in the Federal building. This 
station will be transferred to Jellico, Tenn., in the heart' of the coal 
fields. 

Birmingham, Ala., occupying a building erected by the Bureau of 
Mines on a site donated to the Government for this purpose. 

Urbana, Ill., occupying rooms supplied by the State University. 


14 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


McAlester, Okla., occupying temporarily a building constructed by 
the local miners and mine operators of the district, cooperating. 

Seattle, Wash., occupying a building on the State University 
grounds that was erected for the Philippine exhibit at the Seattle 
Exposition. 

Each of these stations has been in charge of a foreman miner 
whose special business it was to give training and instruction in 
mine-rescue and first-aid work to such miners as came to the station 
for such training. When there are no miners applying for training 
at the station the foreman miner in charge is authorized to visit 
the nearby mines and give instruction at the mines themselves, 
taking with him the equipment, usually one-half dozen helmet 
outfits and material for first-aid instruction kept at the station for 
training purposes. In case of a mine disaster in any of the coal 
fields near a station, the foreman miner takes his rescue equipment 
to such mines and with the aid of men trained by him in the imme¬ 
diate vicinity, renders such service as he can in connection with the 
rescue of the injured or imprisoned miners. 

RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS AND COST OF MINE-SAFETY CARS AND FIXED STATIONS. 

The average yearly cost of maintaining the existing fixed mine 
rescue stations has been about $3,200 per station. The average 
yearly cost of operating a mine rescue car under the existing inade¬ 
quate system has been about $7,000 per car. 

In relative effectiveness, that is, as a means of disseminating 
information and awakening interest and cooperation among the 
miners in the mine-safety movement, the advantage is greatly in 
favor of the rescue car, for the reason that the work is carried on 
at the mines, where all the miners and mine officials can see it in 
progress and cooperate in the movement, and where the miners who 
are willing to take special rescue and first-aid training can do so 
without loss of time from their mining work or incurring expenses of 
travel and board elsewhere. 

For this reason it would be well to discontinue the operation of 
such fixed mine-rescue stations as are not located in the center of a 
thickly settled mining population and have their work carried on by 
rescue cars or movable stations. It is, however, considered advis¬ 
able to maintain certain fixed stations which are so located, such, 
for example, as those at Birmingham, Ala., and McAlester, Okla., 
and the two new stations at Jellico, Tenn., and Norton, Ya. These 
five fixed stations, already provided with buildings, can each be 
operated within its restricted sphere without being considered a 
part of the pending legislation. 

EXISTING RESCUE-CAR WORK. 

The mine-rescue cars are distributed as follows: 

Car No. 1, anthracite coal field, Pennsylvania, headquarters at 
Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 

Car No. 2, Colorado-New Mexico coal fields, headquarters at 
Denver, Colo. 

Car No. 3, Indiana-Kentucky coal fields, headquarters at Evans¬ 
ville, Ind. 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


15 


Car No. 4, Kansao-Missouri-Oklahoma coal fields, headquarters at 
Pittsburg, Kans. 

Car No. 5, Montana-Washington coal fields, headquarters at 
Billings, Mont. 

Car No. G, Wyoming-Utah coal fields, headquarters at Rock 
Springs, Wyo. 

Car No. 7, West Virginia-Virginia-east Kentucky coal fields, head¬ 
quarters at Huntington, W. Va. 

Car No. 8, Lake Superior iron and copper districts, headquarters 
at Ironwood, Mich. 

One car (No. 8) is devoted to work in the metal-mining fields. 

The cars are out-of-date wooden Pullman coaches, purchased from 
and refitted by the Pullman Co. to meet the special needs of the 
Bureau of Mines work, after they had been removed from the regular 
service becauso of age and wear. In refitting these cars for the 
mine-rescue work of the bureau one-half of each car is arranged with 
small rooms containing office headquarters, certain equipment, and 
spaces for heating, cooking, eating, and for sleeping berths. In the 
other one-half of the car the lower Pullman berths have been re¬ 
moved and the entire space is taken up with mine rescue and first-aid 
equipment. The upper berths have been retained and are used as 
additional sleeping places for the men connected with the work, and 
especially for the extra men who in the absence of other accommo¬ 
dations may be housed on these cars in times of mine disasters. 

The average cost of the seven existing cars—which have no steel 
underframe—including their refitting, has been about $1,750 per car, 
this representing mainly the cost of refitting the cars; but the cost of 
repairs has been heavy, ranging from $500 to more than $1,000 per 
car per year, in order to keep them in a reasonably safe condition for 
travel on the road. Railway officials now advise, as being necessary 
to safety, that all these cars be overhauled and that steel underframes 
be substituted for the existing weakened and aged wooden under¬ 
frames. 

The average cost of the inadequate equipment on these cars has 
been about $2,380 for each car. 

PERSONNEL, EQUIPMENT, AND OPERATION OF EXISTING RESCUE CARS. 

The personnel of the rescue cars in operation during the past few 
years has been, on each car, two miners, one to give training and 
demonstrations in the use of breathing apparatus and other life¬ 
saving equipment, and the other to train miners in first-aid methods, 
and a cook-janitor to take care of the car and its equipment and to 
supply the meals for the miners and himself. 

The equipment of each rescue car has comprised 8 to 12 sets of 
artificial breathing apparatus, together with the supplies used in the 
mine-rescue training and demonstrations and the first-aid training 
and demonstrations, extra supplies of oxygen and other materials 
used in the demonstration work and in actual mine-rescue w^ork at 
mine disasters, a limited quantity of fire-fighting apparatus, and sets 
of ordinary tools to be used in case of repairs on the car or in repairs 
rendered necessary in portions of the mine. 

The operations of each rescue car may be considered as divided 
between the work in connection with mine disasters and ordinary 
preventive educational work. 


16 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


PREVENTIVE EDUCATIONAL WORK OF EXISTING RESCUE CARS. 

Under normal conditions each car is expected to be traveling from 
one mine or group of mines to another in a given coal field. The car 
stops at a given mine or group of mines for a week or ten days. 
During this time the two miners give a number of general demonstra¬ 
tions of mine rescue and first-aid methods; and in addition to this 
they train from five to ten men at each mine or group of mines in 
rescue methods and usually a larger number of men, often two or 
three times as many, in first-aid operations. 

Whenever it has been possible, as has been the case at occasional 
intervals, that a mining engineer could accompany the car, in addi¬ 
tion to the demonstration work mentioned above, the mining en¬ 
gineer has given a number of public addresses to the miners and the 
managers of mines, illustrated with lantern-slide pictures, with in¬ 
scriptions under each picture in different languages, showing in con¬ 
trast the more dangerous and the safer methods of mining. In the 
work as it is proposed to enlarge it there will be a mining engineer 
with the car all the time; and in addition to the lectures and demon¬ 
strations he will make examinations into the mining conditions, and 
advise the mine officials on the ground as to possible improvements. 
The mine surgeon will do the same as to mine sanitation and other 
health conditions. 

WORK OF EXISTING CARS AT MINE DISASTERS. 

While the rescue work of the cars is unquestionably important, the 
committee believes that the preventive educational work carried 
on by these cars is of still greater importance as a means of helping to 
prevent mine disasters. The aim of the educational work is to sup¬ 
ply miners, mine foremen, fire bosses, and other mine employees with 
information concerning the latest safety methods and appliances, 
and to interest them and to secure their cooperation in the general 
movement for mine safety and better mining conditions. 

When a mine disaster occurs in any coal field the rescue car nearest 
the mine disaster is carried to the scene of the disaster as quickly as 
possible by the first passing train or by a special locomotive. When 
it arrives, the two miners with the car, subject to the authority of 
the State officials, enter at once upon the rescue work at the mine, 
and they call into service to cooperate with them such additional 
miners in the vicinity as they may have already trained in rescue 
methods. In case of a large mine explosion, the two nearest mine 
rescue cars may be ordered to the scene of the disaster. Generally 
they are met there by two or more of the mining engineers of the 
bureau experienced in rescue work and whose business it is to examine 
into the nature and extent of the mine disaster, as soon as possible 
after the disaster occurs. 

CONTRAST BETWEEN THE OLD AND PRESENT MINE RESCUE METHODS. 

Under the system now being practiced in this and other countries, 
the pioneer work in entering the mine, while still perhaps full of 
wreckage and poisonous gases, is being done by men of a specially 
organized force wearing as may be necessary, artificial breathing 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. if 

apparatus, and carrying with them as precautionary measures safety 
lamps and small animals (usually birds), which are used for detecting 
the poisonous carbon monoxide, known as “white damp” by the 
miners. As rapidly as the ventilation of the mine can be restored, 
these trained men with artificial breathing apparatus are followed 
by experienced miners who, while taking every precaution, do not 
need to wear artificial breathing apparatus. 

In connection with the organized system of rescue work along these 
lines during the past few years, some 80 men have been rescued from 
the mines by the trained men of the bureau, and some 500 miners 
have been rescued by other parties, many of these other parties hav¬ 
ing been trained in rescue methods by the men connected with the 
bureau. 

This well-organized rescue work is in marked contrast with the 
older rescue methods in force a few years ago. This is illustrated by 
the experience at a Wyoming mine disaster in 1909 at which 40 miners 
lost their lives in an unorganized effort to rescue 20 miners caught in 
a mine explosion a few hours before. 

THE NEEDED EXPANSION OF THE MINE SAFETY CAR WORK. 

Each of the seven rescue cars operated in the coal fields during the 
past three years has been kept in operation during an average of 
five to six months each year, the full time that the cars could be 
operated with the funds available. Furthermore, it has not been 
possible to keep on each mine-rescue car either a mining engineer or 
a surgeon, and for this reason not only has the work of the car been 
restricted in time but also restricted in effectiveness. 

The experience during the past few years has shown that several 
of these cars were at the time of their purchase already too badly 
worn to permit of their being used for extended journeys, and in the 
case of several cars the cost of the repairs has already exceeded the 
original cost, so that even the present work can not be continued 
without the overhauling and repair of the cars now in the service. 

Moreover, as regards several of the cars, although the railway com¬ 
panies have been willing to handle them on slow trams they have not 
considered it safe to handle these same cars on fast express trains, 
although, of course, speed is highly desirable in time of serious mine 
disasters. 

Railway officials have therefore recommended that all of the 
existing rescue cars, except car No. 8 (which was so treated at the 
time of its original purchase), should have steel underframes substi¬ 
tuted for the wooden underframes which these old cars now have, 
and should be subjected to a thorough overhauling and repairing 
before being placed in service. They also recommend that in the 
purchase of new cars in connection with the proposed extension of 
this work, all of these new cars should have steel underframes. These 
changes are regarded as being necessary. not only for the safety of 
the cars themselves and the men traveling with them, but also to 
prevent the wrecking of the trains to which these cars are attached. 

The enlargement of the work should take place along the following 
lines: 

H. Rept. 694, 63-2-2 


18 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


(1) Each of the eight existing mine-rescue cars should be thoroughly 
repaired, and as a part of such repairs each of the seven cars now 
having old wooden underframes should be given a steel underframe. 

(2) The equipment for each of the existing cars should be 
thoroughly overhauled and repaired and increased in quantity, so 
that in addition to the ordinary equipment required for the training 
and demonstration work there would be certain new equipment kept 
in the best possible condition for the hazardous work attending mine 
disasters. Among other items of equipment there should be special 
facilities for hoisting (a few men at a time), fire fighting, etc., for use 
when the ordinary equipment of the mine may be destroyed or so 
badly damaged as to be temporarily out of commission. 

(3) There should be added to each car a mining engineer, a mine 
surgeon, and a stenographic clerk. (The duties of and need for each 
of these is stated below.) 

(4) The total number of cars should be increased from 8 now in 
hand (7 in the coal fields and 1 in the metal-mining regions) to 15, 
through the purchase of 7 additional cars. Thirteen of these cars 
should be operated in the coal fields and two in the metal-mining 
regions. 

(5) Each of these cars should be operated for a period of 11 
months. The thirteenth car would be operated as a relief car for 
the other 12 in the coal fields, replacing 1 of the 12 cars during 
each succeeding month. Under such a system, in the coal fields, 12 
cars with full crews would in this way be actually in full operation 
for the entire year. The 2 cars assigned to the metal-mine regions 
should each be operated for 11 months. 

(6) There should be a headquarters organization located at some 
central point, probably at the Pittsburgh laboratories, under the 
general direction of which all of the cars could be operated. Here 
the necessary researches could be conducted, looking to the im¬ 
provement of rescue equipment, together with the repairs of such 

n ment; and such other work could be done as would contribute 
e efficiency of the entire work connected with such central 
organization. There would be a chief surgeon and a chief mining 
engineer who, in addition to guiding the work of the several mining 
engineers and surgeons on all of the mine-rescue cars, would follow 
up their work by suggestions and cooperation in the organization 
of local first-aid teams at the different mines, and encouraging the 
reading of miners’ circulars and other publications sent out by the 
bureau. Engineers connected with this central organization should 
also visit each mine a few weeks or months subsequent to the visit 
of the mine-rescue car, with a view to seeing that the new interest in 
safety measures, occasioned by the work of the rescue car, is kept 
alive. 

DUTIES OF THESE ADDITIONAL MEN, AND WHY NECESSARY. 

The mining engineer will have charge of the car operations. He 
will arrange for and will join in giving the public demonstrations and 
illustrated addresses to be attended by all of the miners of the par¬ 
ticular region where the car may stop. He will make a careful exami¬ 
nation of each mine as to its safety conditions and will suggest pos¬ 
sible improvements in equipment and methods. He will submit to 
the Bureau of Mines reports of all operations of the car, and more 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 19 

especially as to safety conditions and possible improvements at each 
mine or group of mines. His recommendations will be taken up with 
the mine owriers with a view to securing their adoption. The services 
of an experienced mining engineer in charge of the work of each of 
these cars is of evident importance. Indeed, it may be regarded as 
essential to success. 

The mine surgeon or sanitary engineer wdll make a medical exam¬ 
ination of all the miners w r ho may apply for training. This requires 
skill and experience. No miner should be accepted for rescue train¬ 
ing who is not physically sound. The surgeon will himself superin¬ 
tend the training in first aid to the injured. Many physicians have 
protested against the former practice of the Bureau of Mines of having 
this training done by miners. 

The mine surgeon will also make a careful examination into the 
health conditions in and about the mines, and will submit recom¬ 
mendations in behalf of such improvements to the mine management. 
This he will do on a basis of cooperation between the Bureau of Mines 
and the Public Health Service. He will give general illustrated lec¬ 
tures to the miners and other mine employees on possible improve¬ 
ments in health conditions. Pie will submit reports to the Bureau of 
Mines in connection with all operations relating to the examination 
and training of the miners and the examination of and possible 
improvements in the health conditions in and about the mines. At 
mine disasters the surgeon w r ill aid in reviving the rescued miners, a 
work in which extended experience and skill is needed. 

The stenographic clerk will assist the mining engineer and the mine 
surgeon in recording their examinations and inquiries and in the 
preparation of their reports to the Bureau of Mines and to the mine 
management. Inasmuch as the mining engineer, the mine surgeon, 
and the two miners will generally be absent from the car during the 
time of making their examinations and doing their training work, the 
stenographic clerk will at such times be in charge of the car, explain¬ 
ing its operations to visiting miners and mine operators, and will 
look after the instruments and other equipment kept on board the 
car. This work of the stenographic clerk would greatly increase the 
efficiency of all the other men on the car, and would give the bureau 
such records of the work and of mining conditions as would not be 
otherwise obtainable. 

Of the two miners, the foreman miner wdll carry out the training 
in connection with the mine rescue work and the first-aid miner that 
in the first-aid work, both under the supervision of the mine surgeon. 
In time of mine disasters both these miners will be expected to take 
part in organizing and leading the rescue w-ork in the mines. 

DO RESULTS ALREADY OBTAINED WARRANT THIS EXPANSION OF THE 

WORK ? 

This question may be answered in the affirmative without hesita¬ 
tion if the entire situation is considered. Some evidence of past im¬ 
provement is shown by the accompanying statistical data, although 
the improvement is neither decisive nor regular. However, in the 
examination of these data the following facts should be understood 

(1) That the safety investigations of the Government since their 
inauguration in 1908 have been limited almost entirely to a study 


20 MINING-EXPERIMENT AND M1NE-SAEETY STATIONS. 

V 

of mine explosions (which cause less than one-fifth of our total coal¬ 
mine fatalities); and in these explosion investigations the bureau’s 
experimental coal mine—in which its most important experiments 
are to be conducted—was not ready for satisfactory work until 1913. 
Meanwhile the requests for funds with which to study, investigate, 
and develop preventive measures in connection with other and even 
more important causes of mine accidents have unfortunately had 
little response. 

(2) Every year our mining operations enlarge, the number of men 
working in individual mines increases, and our coal mines become 
deeper and naturally more hazardous from increasing gas, falls of 
roof, machinery, and other conditions associated with greater depths 
and pressures. Therefore, unless suitable safety improvements are 
devised and utilized, the death rate in our mines will increase even 
faster than our mineral production. 

The tabular statement given below will indicate some of the im¬ 
portant facts relative to the loss of life in the coal mines of the country 
during the past 12 } 7 ears. Taking the average death rates for the 
six years, 1902-1907, inclusive, prior to the inauguration of the Gov¬ 
ernment’s investigations of mine explosions, and comparing these with 
the averages for the six years, 1908-1913, inclusive, since the inaugu¬ 
ration of these investigations, it brings out the following facts: 

Average number of men killed in'the coal mines of the United States per 
1,000 employed: 

1902 to 1907, average for five years. 3. 71 

1908 to 1913, average for five years. 3. 73 

Number of men killed in the coal mines of the United States per 1,000,000 
short tons of coal mined: 

1902 to 1907, average for five years. 5. 88 

1908 to 1913, average for five years. 5. 38 

Production of coal in the United States, in short tons, per fatal accident: 

1902 to 1907, average for five years.,.tons.. 172, 000 

1908 to 1913, average for five years.do.. 188, 000 

Production, number of men employed, and number of men killed in and about the coal 
mines in the United States in the calendar years 1902 to 1913, inclusive. 1 


1902. 

1903. 

1904. 

1905. 

1906. 

1907. 
1908 

1909. 

1910. 

1911. 

1912. 

1913. 


Number killed. 


Year. 


3 


Production 

(short 

tons). 2 3 4 


Number 

em¬ 

ployed. 2 


Total. 


Per 


Per 


1,000 

em¬ 

ployed. 


1,000,000 
short tons 
mined. 


Produc¬ 
tion per 
death 
(short 
tons). 


296,687,066 

345,200,166 

339,164,812 

386,379,243 

407,835,003 

461,406,023 

404,932,764 

460,761,427 

501,596,378 

496,221,168 

534,466,580 

570,000,000 


510,437 
547,431 
573,373 
615,628 
631,086 
655,418 
672,794 
666,523 
725,030 
728,348 
722,662 
3 728,355 


1,895 
1,752 
2,004 
2,232 
2,116 
3,197 
2,449 
2,668 
2,840 
2,719 
2,360 
4 2,785 


3.71 

0.39 

156,563 

3.20 

5.08 

197,317 

3.50 

5.91 

169,244 

3.63 

5.78 

173,109 

3.35 

5.19 

192,710 

4.88 

6.93 

144,325 

3.64 

6.05 

165,346 

4.00 

5.79 

172,699 

3.92 

5.66 

176,618 

3.73 

5.48 

182,501 

3.27 

4.41 

226,469 

3.82 

4.88 

204,688 


1 The figures for production and number of men employed are from “Mineral Resources of the United 
the Bureau of Mines Survey ’ except for the number of men employed in 1911, which were compiled by 

2 These figures represent the production and the number of men employed in those States in which 
records of fatal accidents are in existence. The figures are directly comparable with the number of men 
kiiled as given m the fifth column and are those on which the mortality rates are based. It will be noted 
that the portion of the industry not represented in the rates from 1902 to 1909 is small and that since 1909 
the entire industry is represented. 

3 Estimated. Subject to revision. 

4 Does not include December fatalities in Kentucky. 































MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 21 


Average number killed per 1,000 employed in the coal mines of the principal coal-pro - 
ducing countries for the 10-year period , 1901 to 1910. 



India. 

Bel¬ 

gium. 

Austria. 

Great 

Britain. 

France. 

New 

South 

Wales. 

Ger¬ 

many. 

Japan. 

United 

States. 

Average, 1901-1910. 

.96 

1.02 

1.04 

1.36 

1.69 

1.74 

2.11 

2.92 

3.74 



Average number killed per 1,000,000 short tons of coal mined in the principal coal-pro¬ 
ducing countries for the 10-year period, 1901 to 1910. 



k 

New 

South 

Wales. 

Great 

Britain. 

Aus¬ 

tria. 

Bel¬ 

gium. 

United 

States. 

Ger¬ 

many. 

France. 

India. 

Japan. 

Average, 1901-1910. 

3.70 

4.40 

5.05 

5.56 

5. 83 

7.55 

7. 79 

9.00 

22.71 


Safety work by the Bureau of Mines in metal mining in the United 
States has been limited to the past two years (1912 and 1913). The 
year 1911 is the latest for which metal mine accident data is available 
for other countries. The data for this one year will serve to indicate 
the relatively high death rate in the metal mines of the United States 
and other countries. 


Country. 

1911 

Country. 

1911 

Number 

em¬ 

ployed. 

Number 
killed per 

1,000 em¬ 
ployed. 

Number 

em¬ 

ployed. 

Number 
killed per 
1,000 em¬ 
ployed. 

Australasia: 



Great Britain. 

29,025 

1.48 


19 360 

1.81 

Greece. 

6, 764 

2.07 


7 400 

0.68 

Italy. 

49,498 

2.36 

OiiAAn«ilanH 

11091 

0.90 

Japan. 

80,896 

1.76 

Tft^mania 

5,247 

0.76 

Portugal. 

7,484 

1.34 


14 051 

1.35 

Spain. 

120, 781 

1.49 


15 428 

2.33 

Transvaal. 

225,538 

4.14 

A ii stria. 

20,’ 299 

0. 49 

i United States. 

165,979 

4.19 

France. 

29^ 988 

2.83 

1 

1 




(3) Among the more specific safety improvements that are being 
developed and are now being introduced in coal mining under the 
lead of the Bureau of Mines are: (a) A new type of quick-flame, low- 
temperature explosive much safer than black powder for use in 
gaseous and dusty mines. There are now 116 different explosives of 
this new type manufactured by 18 different companies, and there is 
already in use (1913) more than 25,000,000 pounds of these explo¬ 
sives annually; (b) new types of miners* electric safety lamps and 
safety electric motors for use in gaseous mines. These and other 
improvements now underway in connection with safety measures, 
rescue and first-aid methods, and the general educational work 
inaugurated in connection with the mine rescue cars and stations 
durino- the past three years have won the cooperation of the miners 
and the mine operators, and the conditions are now lawn able to the 
far larger cooperation of the miners and operators with the Bureau 
of Mines in its proposed larger work. 








































































22 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


Many largo mine operators have already put in force safety pre¬ 
cautions t > uch an extent that the death rate in their own mines has 
been largely reduced, and in this work they have the cooperation of 
the miners and mine inspectors. 

It should be remembered, also, in this connection that the mine 
rescue car work has as yet reached only a small percentage of even 
the coal miners of the United States. But there is much evidence 
going to show that the miners and other mine employees who have 
attended the illustrated lectures and demonstrations given in con¬ 
nection with the work of the rescue cars have exhibited a much 
greater interest in the mine safety work of the bureau, have called 
for its publications in increasing numbers, and in other ways have 
shown a willingness to cooperate with the bureau and with the in¬ 
spectors and mine operators in putting safety appliances and methods 
into practice. 

The condition which, more than any other, is retarding progress in 
this great safety movement is the failure of the National Government 
to make adequate provision for the more rapid extension of its 
research and educational work. Miners and mine operators agree in 
commending the thoroughness and effectiveness of the work of the 
Bureau of Mines as far as it has been able to go, and in expressing 
their willingness to accept and act upon its advice and recommenda¬ 
tions, but they complain of the long delays and of serious limitations 
in this work; and the lack of conclusions and of specific recommenda¬ 
tions as regards many possible improvements in safety and health 
conditions is seriously holding back such improvements in all parts 
of the country. 

PROGRESS OF THE WORK UNDER THE PRESENT AS COMPARED WITH THE PROPOSED 
LARGER OPERATIONS. 

A careful estimate shows that at the rate of progress under exist¬ 
ing conditions between 12 and 15 years would be required for a single 
visit of one of the existing rescue cars to each important coal mine 
or group of mines in the United States. If the enlargement of the 
work now proposed is carried out in full, a rescue car with its demon- 
strational and other educational work would visit each important 
mine or group of mines in the United States once in four years’ time, 
and during this time the training work of these cam would be so 
extended that from 10 to 30 miners would be trained in rescue and 
first-aid operations at each important mine or group of mines in the 
country. 

WHY THIS EDUCATIONAL WORK CAN NOT BE CARRIED ON BY PUBLICATIONS ALONE. 

A large proportion of the men entering the mines in the United 
States each year come from the farms and villages of different Euro¬ 
pean countries; they are unfamiliar with our language, our institu¬ 
tions, and our laws, and know little or nothing of mining. 

A majority of the men now working in the coal mines of the United 
States to-day speak and read but little English. It is therefore diffi¬ 
cult to reach these men through publications, even when the latter 
are prepared in the most simple and elementary manner. 

The plan followed most successfully by the employees of the 
.Bureau of Mines in reaching and interesting these men is through 





MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


28 


giving actual working demonstrations in mine rescue, first aid, and 
other safety measures and methods, and the giving of lectures illus¬ 
trated with lantern slide pictures which contrast the safe and the 
dangerous methods. Each of these pictures used has a short, one line 
description under it in four or more different languages most common 
among the miners. In these lectures and demonstrations, local 
interpreters are used at intervals as the need for them may appear. 

THIS DEMONSTRATION WORK AWAKENS NEW INTEREST AMONG MINERS, AND IS GOOD 

WELFARE WORK. 

Work of this kind develops a new interest in the safety work 
among the miners, and following the movements of each of the exist¬ 
ing rescue cars this interest on the part of the miners is shown in their 
call for the publications which treat of the mine-safety work. 

So far as it has gone, this educational work is assuredly developing 
safer and better mining, and the leaders among the miners express 
the belief that if carried forward on a larger scale and in a more 
thorough manner, the work can not fail to develop also better citizen¬ 
ship among these miners. 

Certainly many miners in different parts of the country have 
expressed a growing interest in and friendly feelings toward the 
National Government, as they come to see the evidences that the 
National Government is interested in their welfare. On the other 
hand, the great majority of the miners have not yet seen evidences of 
any public interest in their welfare, and no one need feel surprised 
at their lack of interest in government. Their chief idea of govern¬ 
ment—brought with them to this country—is that of suppression or 
oppression. In the enlargement of the mine-safety work now pro¬ 
posed the National Government certainly has its best opportunity 
to show to more than 2,000,000 of its citizens that it does have a real 
and an active humanitarian interest in promoting their welfare; and 
it can thereby gain their good will. 

All this demonstrational and other educational work is of a pio¬ 
neer character. If the mining conditions of the country can be im¬ 
proved and mining made safer and more attractive, men will stay 
with the mining industry in this country as they have been doing in 
other countries, and there would be less need of training a new army 
of miners each year. It will, therefore, be real economy to push the 
work more rapidly now. 

There is every reason to believe that such educational work carried 
forward by the National Government under such methods as to win 
the confidence and cooperation of the miner will make for real progress 
in this industry in the same way that the national appropriations for 
educational work in agriculture have led to improvements and real 
progress in that industry, which are building up a greater public 
welfare. 

COST OF THE PROPOSED ENLARGEMENT OF THE SAFETY-CAR WORK. 

The cost of overhauling the eight existing mine-rescue cars, of 
providing seven additional mine-rescue cars with their full equipment, 
and of operating all of these cars throughout the entire year on the 
basis described above is shown in the tabular statement given below. 


24 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


Of the eight existing cars, seven will need to he provided with steel 
underframes to be substituted in each car for the worn-out wooden 
underframes which they now have, for reasons previously stated. 
This substitution of the steel underframes, together with the other 
needed repairs, will make the overhauling of seven of the existing 
cars cost about $3,000 per car. One of the eight cars already has 
a steel underframe, and its overhauling will be inexpensive. The 
estimates obtained covering the purchase of these additional cars 
indicates an average cost of about $5,500 per car. 

Nearly all of the existing cars when originally constructed as new 
cars were valued at from $20,000 to $30,000 per car. They were pur¬ 
chased by the Bureau of Mines at from $1,500 to $2,500 each after 
they had been abandoned for ordinary usage by the Pullman Co. 

The cost of repairing cars already in use, of purchasing new cars, and 
of equipping and operating the cars in accordance with the plan set 
forth, are given in the following statement: 

Cost of the cars: 

Repairs of 7 of the 8 existing cars, at $3,000 (providing each with 


safer steel underframes). $21, 000 

Purchase of 7 additional cars, at $5,500. 38, 500 

-$59, 500 

Cost of equipment: 


New additional equipment for 8 existing cars (estimated for in sundry 
civil bill, $30,000; if not incorporated in sundry civil bill, should be 
incorporated in this estimate), equipment for 7 new cars, at $4,500.. 31,500 


Total cost of cars and equipment. 91, 000 


Cost of operating 1 car: 

Services— 

1 mining engineer. $3, 000 

1 first-aid surgeon. 2, 700 

1 foreman miner. 1, 800 

1 first-aid miner. 1, 680 

1 stenographic clerk....'. 1, 000 

1 cook and janitor. 720 


Maintenance— 

Travel of men when absent from car. 1, 200 

Subsistence of 6 men, at $1 per day on the car, 335 days.... 2, 010 

Repairs to the car and equipment*.... 1, 200 

Supplies used in training. 4, 440 

Special extra material and labor at mine disasters. 600 

--9, 450 


20, 350 


Cost of operating in the field 15 cars, at $20,350 each. 305, 250 

Cost of headquarters, organization, and work necessary to successful 
operation in the field of the 15 mine-rescue or mine-safety cars: 1 

1 mining engineer in charge... $4, 500 

1 mining engineer in charge of rescue organization work follow¬ 
ing the car operations. 4, 000 

1 chief surgeon. 4, 000 

1 engineer in charge of rescue equipment and methods. 3, 000 

1 engineer in charge of publications for supplementing rescue 

and first-aid demonstrations. 3, 000 

2 special assistants, at $2-,400.•.. 4, 800 

2 mechanicians for rescue equipment, at $1,800. i . 3, 600 

2 assistant mechanicians for rescue equipment, at $1,500. 3, 000 

2 safety commissioners for special organization work among the 

miners, at $3,300. 6, 600 


1 See par. 6, p. 16. 




































MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


25 


Cost of headquarters, organization, etc.—Continued. 

Special expert services for improvements in rescue equipment 

and methods. qqq 

3 stenographers and typewriters, at $1,500. 4’ 500 

2 stenographers and typweriters, at $1,200. 2 , 400 

Travel expenses and subsistence. 10. 000 

Shop equipment and supplies for rescue equipment, repairs, and 

improvements. 10,310 

'--- $69, 750 

Total yearly cost of the mine-safety work. 375, 000 

Amount now expended for operation on the existing incomplete and inefficient 

basis of 8 existing rescue cars during current year (9 months') under the 

appropriations for mine-accident investigations. . .. 70,150 

As will be seen from the above tabular statement the total invest¬ 
ment in additional cars and equipment and in the necessary repairs 
of existing cars and the equipment proposed for these larger opera¬ 
tions aggregates $91,000. This is not to be considered an additional 
appropriation, for the reason that these expenses might be covered 
in the following manner: It is likely that between two and three 
•months would elapse following the passage of the appropriation act 
before all the additional cars and equipment and personnel of the 
various cars could be secured, and therefore that disbursements for 
operation might be conveniently delayed until three months follow¬ 
ing the passage of the appropriation act. By this date a three- 
months’ portion of the proposed appropriation of $375,000 for the 
mine rescue work will be saved suffic ient to cover the amount of the 
necessary investment in cars and equipment, and after that date the 
entire machinery of the enlarged operations would be operated con¬ 
tinuously during the remaining nine months. 

THE URGENT NEED OF ADDITIONAL MINE-SAFETY INVESTIGATIONS. 

The amount to be expended for the operation of the eight existing 
rescue cars operated on their smaller scale, during seven to eight 
months of the current year, is estimated to be $70,150. This amount 
may, therefore, be deducted from the existing appropriation of 
$347,000 for mine accidents, but in the opinion of the committee it 
should be allowed to remain as a part of that appropriation to be 
expended on long-delayed urgent investigations in relation to other 
mine safety improvements, which for lack of funds the bureau has 
not yet been able to take up. These investigations are as follows: 

(1) Necessary extension of experimental mine work— Recent mine 
explosions render necessary during the fiscal year 1915 an increase 
in the allotment for the explosion tests in the experimental mine of 
$15,000 more than the allotment for this work during the current 
year. The results of the current year’s experiments are highly 
encouraging as to the possible use of stone dust and dry clay as pre¬ 
ventive of coal-dust explosions; but they also indicate the need of 
extending the dimensions of the mine to a considerable extent. 

(2) Accidents from falls of roof. —One of these is the falls of roof 
in mining, which causes from one-third to one-half the total loss of life 
charged against the mining operations in this country. This is an 
investigation requiring thoroughly trained technical knowledge. The 
loss of life from this cause during the last five years in coal mines alone 
has been more than 6,000 and the seriously injured IS.000 to 20,000. 











26 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


The situation is not to be remedied by the claim that this class of 
accidents is due to carelessness. There is often a reasonable igno¬ 
rance on the part of both the miners and the mine foreman con¬ 
cerning the nature of the roof rock and its behavior under different 
conditions of moisture and pressure. A thorough investigation of the 
problems, using both the practical experience of the miner and the 
technical knowledge of the engineer, can not fail to be helpful. 

It has been urged that in this country we should follow the practice 
of Great Britain, in which country the proportionate loss of life from 
this cause during the past five years was less than one-half that in the 
United States. But the adoption of the British timbering practice 
in all our American coal mines would add $50,000,000 to $75,000,000 
yearly to the cost of coal in this country, to be paid by the consumers 
of coal in all the States. 

It is estimated that an investigation during the next few years cost¬ 
ing about $40,000 per annum, would probably find other and far 
cheaper methods of accomplishing the same result. 

(3) Accidents from mine equipment .—The loss of life from mining,, 
haulage, and hoisting machinery, failure of signals, etc., in the coal 
mines of the United States during the past five years was 2,100 men; 
and more than 6,000 men were seriously injured. There is serious 
need of investigation in this subject, which as yet the bureau has not 
been able to undertake. It is estimated that such an investigation 
would cost $35,000 per annum. 

(4) Accidents (other than explosions) from electndty .—From this 
cause there have been many deaths and many serious nonfatal acci¬ 
dents in the mines of the country during the past five years. An in¬ 
vestigation of this subject has thus far been beyond the means of the 
bureau, but it should be taken up without further delay. Such an 
investigation continued during the next few years is estimated to 
cost about $20,000 per annum. 

(5) Accidents (other than explosions) from explosives in mines .— 
During the past five years about 700 men have been killed and fully 
2,000 have been seriously injured from this cause in our coal mines 
alone. In addition to accidents of this type, a large number of miners 
have suffered from the poisonous effects of the fumes or gases given 
given off in metal mines and tunnels, where the ventilation is poor. 
Investigation into this subject to cost $20,000 during the fiscal year 
1915 have been estimated for in the sundry civil bill. 

(6) Improvements of health conditions in the metal-mining , metal¬ 
lurgical , and other mineral industries .—A comprehensive investigation 
of conditions affecting the health of workers is one of the urgent 
existing needs of the mining industry. Such investigation would 
affect the health condition of one and a half million men employed in 
these several phases of the industry, and no one familiar with condi¬ 
tions will for a moment question its importance. In conducting it, 
the Bureau of Mines would have the active cooperation of the Public 
Health Service, which would study the different ways in which mine 
conditions affect the health of employees, while the Bureau of Mines 
would seek to ascertain the existence and the causes of bad health 
conditions and the methods of improving the same. A careful esti¬ 
mate indicates that the cost of the part of this work to be carried on 
by the Bureau of Mines would be $50,000 a year for the next few 
years. 




MINING-EXPERTMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


27 


The investigations to which attention has been called in the above 
statements, although possibly the most urgent, are by no means the 
only ones that should be made by the Government in any systematic 
and comprehensive attempt to increase safety, improve health con¬ 
ditions, and bring about a more efficient development in the various 
mineral industries. 

SLOW PROGRESS IN THE PAST GOVERNMENT MINE-SAFETY INVESTI¬ 
GATIONS. 

During the past two years, and especially during the past year, 
many complaints have come from both miners and mine operators 
of the slowness with which mine safety results were being obtained 
through the Bureau of Mines. Both operators and mine owners have 
shown a desire to inaugurate new improvements looking to greater 
safety and along any lines in which they could receive definite and 
satisfactory recommendations or advice; and within the bureau 
itself every effort has been made to press these inquiries and investi¬ 
gations more rapidly with a view to obtaining these results with less 
delay, but progress has been unfortunately slow. 

In connection with the investigation of mine explosions, owing 
to the limited funds at the disposal of the bureau it has required 
three years to open up the experimental mine near Pittsburgh and 
get the same in proper shape for experimental researches. With more 
adequate facilities this could have been done within a single year. 
As another example, three years have been required for certain re¬ 
searches looking toward the development of miners’ electric safety 
head lamps, all of which, with larger facilities, might have been done 
within a single year. We have found it difficult to give to the miners 
especially a satisfactory explanation of these delays. 

THE ECONOMICS OF MINE ACCIDENTS AND HEALTH CONDITIONS. 

No one likes to estimate the money value of a human life, but at 
times it becomes necessary to do this, especially in working out the 
economics of compensation acts. It is a reasonable estimate that 
during the past 10 years more than 30,000 men have been killed and 
more than 100,000 seriously injured in connection with the accidents 
in the mining industries of this country. It is impossible to estimate 
the number who have suffered from bad health conditions in many 
metal mining, tunneling, quarrying, metallurgical, and other mineral 
industry plants. It is impossible to estimate the number of men with 
health shattered through these conditions who have had to give up 
their work years before their natural time or the number of dependents 
who have suffered thereby. 

If it be assumed that each human life is valued at $3,000, it will be 
seen that the deaths alone in the mines have cost in the 10 years 
$90,000,000. 

If each of the 100,000 seriously injured lost 20 days at $3 per day, 
a reasonable assumption, this represents $6,000,000 lost from this 
cause. 

As to the metal mines, metallurgical plants, and quarrying opera¬ 
tions, unfortunately there are few reliable data regarding health con¬ 
ditions in the United States; yet there are sufficient isolated figures 


28 


MINING-EXPERIMENT AND MINE-SAFETY STATIONS. 


concerning certain districts to indicate that the death rate from occu¬ 
pational diseases is even greater than the accident rate. 

Whatever may be the value put upon a human life in arranging for 
a reasonable compensation, these losses of life and labor are national 
in their extent and character and fall ultimately upon the general 
public as representing the consumers of mineral products. What¬ 
ever the theoretical bases of value of these losses, the true cost falls 
directly upon the injured and upon the consumer. Also, whatever 
additional expenditures may become necessary on the part of the 
operators of mines, metallurgical, and other mineral industry plants 
to reduce this loss of life and labor must ultimately be a charge upon 
the general public as representing the consumers of mineral products. 

It is important, therefore, not only from the humanitarian stand¬ 
point, but also from the standpoint of economics, that everything 
possible should be done to reduce the loss of life and labor in the 
mining industry both through prevention of accidents and through 
the improvement of health conditions. It is also a matter of decided 
importance to the general public from both the standpoints that 
these improvements should be brought about at a minimum cost 
and in a minimum time. Real economy involves speedy accom¬ 
plishment as well as efficiency in the improvements to be made. 

It is important, therefore, from both the humanitarian and eco¬ 
nomic standpoints that the investigations by the National Govern¬ 
ment, with a view to better safeguarding the lives of the men con¬ 
nected with the more hazardous branches of the mining industry, 
should be conducted as thoroughly and as rapidly as the work can 
be done effectively, in order that the improvements may be inaugu¬ 
rated without delay and to the fullest possible extent. 

It is equally important that after the inquiries and investigations 
have been conducted and reasonable conclusions formed the infor¬ 
mation should be disseminated promptly and effectively among the 
miners and those who manage the mines. 

The committee unanimously recommends the passage of the bill. 

o 

































































































* 




































































































f 





